Department of Biological Sciences

R. M. Myers Herbarium

Waggoner Hall, Rooms 290 through 298 Curator: Dr. Eric Ribbens

The R. M. Myers Herbarium (MWI) was founded in 1945 by Dr. Myers. We are the sixth-largest herbarium in the state of Illinois, with about 75,000 specimens, mostly collected from Illinois. Our oldest specimens were collected by Albert Eads in 1860; other important collections include specimens from Alice Kibbe, a large collection of west-central Illinois specimens from Mr. R.T. Rexroat, and the extensive collections of Western Illinois University faculty and students interested in botany, including R.M. Myers, R.D. Henry, and R.L. Hartman. We also have received the herbarium collection of about 2500 specimens from Rosary Forest College, which is being curated and merged with the collection.

These collections serve different purposes, including teaching, research, and public service. More than 48,700 specimens have been databased, and the MWI database is being converted to an NSF-funded program called Specify, which will provide public access to herbarium specimen information.

Mission

The mission of the R.M. Myers Herbarium is to A) be the best collection of western Illinois plants, and B) provide a comprehensive teaching collection.

For additional information or access to the collection, please contact the curator, Dr. Ribbens, at: E-Ribbens@wiu.edu or call: (309) 255-1650.